Backflow Testing in Suitland, MD

Does my Suitland house even have a testable device?

Many don't. The median home in Suitland was built around 1973, and older houses often have no in-ground irrigation, no fire sprinkler system and a gas or electric water heater rather than a treated boiler. Those are the usual reasons a home carries a testable assembly. If WSSC has one on record for your address, though, it expects a test each year whether or not you remember it being there. The device may have been added by a past owner along with sprinklers, or it may protect a boiler in a basement mechanical room. A plumber can find it, identify the type and tell you whether it is testable or a non-testable dual check, which WSSC handles differently.

What does the test involve and who files it?

The technician shuts the downstream valve, connects a differential pressure gauge to the test cocks and checks that each valve holds and, on an RPZ, that the relief opens at the right point. WSSC accepts results only from a WSSC cross-connection technician, and they are submitted electronically by a registered principal master plumber. You shouldn't need to send anything yourself, but ask for a copy. If the assembly fails, it is repaired or replaced and tested again.

What about apartments, churches and businesses?

Suitland has garden apartments, shopping strips along MD 4 and Silver Hill Road, and offices that grew around the Suitland Federal Center. Commercial and multifamily buildings often have more than one assembly, including larger devices on fire lines. Each one on record needs its own annual test. Property managers usually schedule these together so the paperwork arrives at WSSC at once. Plumbing permits in Prince George's County come from WSSC, which also inspects plumbing and gasfitting work, so a replacement on a commercial line goes through WSSC ePermitting.

A Suitland note

When you call, say what the device protects and where it sits, and mention any letter or due date. If you live near the Suitland, Naylor Road or Branch Avenue Metro stations and your building has a shared assembly, check with management first; testing is usually arranged by the owner of the building rather than individual tenants.